


The Most Precious

by naimofico



Category: Pokemon - Fandom
Genre: Cute romance, Did I mention fluff?, Fluff, Gold (Pokémon) - Freeform, Gold/Silver (Pokémon) - Freeform, M/M, Pokemon, Pokémon GSC, Pokémon HGSS, Preciousmetal Shipping, Silver (Pokémon) - Freeform, lots of fluff, silver is shorter than gold bc i think thats adorable
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-12
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:00:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24140221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/naimofico/pseuds/naimofico
Summary: After a fierce battle in Victory Road between 2 rivals ends in an emotional conversation and a surprising gesture, Gold and Silver make the transition from mere rivals, to friends, to roommates, and perhaps more.A collection of short stories in varying lengths that give insight into the ever-growing and ever-changing relationship between these two teenage trainers. Enjoy!
Relationships: Gold/Silver (Pokemon)
Comments: 21
Kudos: 59





	1. Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> quick note:
> 
> I've been popping in to edit parts of this I thought needed a bit of work, so if you come back to it (thanks if you do) and notice somethings different, I've just been touching up parts of it and improving it, and with more chapters in the future, this will most likely still be the case :)

"Feraligatr, use Surf, then Waterfall!"

Gold's mighty-jawed Pokémon summoned a crash of raging water under its feet, which she dove down into. The wave swept away everything in its wake, including the opposing Pokémon; Silver's Sneasel, his ace and last remaining Pokémon. The wave effortlessly carried the petite ice-type into its depths, then Feraligatr used it's second attack, and a pillar of water shot from the wave carrying Sneasel within it. Feraligatr rapidly swam up the pillar and clashed hard into other Pokémon, the force knocking it out of the raging column and onto the damp ground with a cry of pain. Water drained from the cavern in which the battle was taking place, leaving the 2 Pokémon adjacent to eachother, with one standing proudly and fiercely, and the other laying unconcious on the cold stone floor.

Silver had lost.

Gold broke the momentary silence with a triumphant cry.

"Yeah! Right on, Feraligatr, We did it!"

Feraligatr looked back at her trainer and groaned happily in response. Silver then recalled his Sneasel back to its Pokéball, still remaining quiet. 

He... lost? 

After all the training, all the trouble he went through, every sacrifice and risk he's taken, every single injustice ever done to him that he forced himself to internalize and convert into determination to keep moving forward for his entire life... yet he still lost to the random kid he ran into by chance, the kid that started his journey at the exact same time as him?

Silvers hands began to shake as he watched Gold pat and praise Feraligatr. The shaking started to travel to his arms, legs, and soon his whole body. His eyes began to well up. Tears? But he hadn't cried in years. 

Just how pathetic could he get?

He wrapped his arms around his stomach and fell to his knees, bent over and weeping on the damp cavern floor, wishing he could crawl into a hole and hide from this cruel, unfair world.

Gold hesitated upon seeing his rival sobbing on his knees. He was... crying? If there was one thing he'd never expect from the bold, cocky teen he knew Silver to be, it was seeing him cry. At first, he thought he was hurt. But as he listened for a moment longer, he definitely heard pain in his soft cries, but not physical pain. His face contorted into that of worry as he recalled Feraligatr back to her Pokéball and took a few steps forward towards Silver. 

"Um... hey, are you okay? You're not hurt, right?" 

Gold said, as sympathetically as he could manage, feeling like an asshole for being so carelessly triumphant just moments ago. He stood there, awkwardly and silently, gazing down at his rival and listening to his sobs which showed no signs of stopping. As much as he told himself that he disliked the redhead, it still tugged at his heart hearing him cry. Finally, Silver lifted his head and turned it to the side, refusing to look Gold in the eyes. 

"I'm fine. Leave me alone."

The brunet knew that was a lie. Wordlessly, he kneeled down next to the other boy, hoping that his presence would be at least somewhat comforting. Silver took notice of this, and spoke again with a harsher tone.

"Go away, I told you I'm fine. Dont waste your time on me."

That last part startled Gold. Waste his time on him? Where was that unbridled pride and confidence he always openly displayed? Not quite sure of what to say, the other boy pondered for a few seconds.

"You're not a waste of time, why would you think that?"

He didn't fully expect a reply, more so expecting a punch to the face, but begrudgingly Silver answered.

"That's all I am. I'm useless. So save yourself the time on a waste of space like me and leave!"

He shouted the last part, his face inches away from Gold's. He recoiled at this, but wasn't as scared or put off as he should've been. After all, if he really wanted Gold gone, he would've hit him or pushed him away already, like he had back in New Bark Town at the very beginning of their journey.

Gold gazed with concern at Silver, who's expression softened a bit once the brunet showed no signs of frustration with him, nor any signs of leaving. He averted his gaze down to the ground, feeling even more like a screw-up, and started weeping more bitter, burning tears. In response, Gold rested a hand on the other boys arm reassuringly, unsure if this would earn him a slap or not. Instead, Silver's slate grey eyes widened a bit at the gesture, but he did not move away.

"Dude, believe me, you're not useless at all, you're none of that."

Silver remained silence, gaze still fixed on the ground.

"You've got tons of worth. You're strong, you're determined, and you're the bravest person I've ever met. I mean, remember that time at the Radio Tower?"

He chuckled sheepishly at the thought, to which Silver remained quiet. The more Gold thought about it, his reassurance was pretty cold comfort seeing as they've only interacted a few times, most of which were followed by a battle and insults hurled Gold's direction. He racked his mind for something better to say, but he figured honesty was his best bet here. He rubbed the back of his neck and spoke again.

"Look, I... can't say a whole lot more than that, I don't really know you too well outside of battles, so I cant give much comfort. But what I do know is that there isn't a single person on this planet that's useless, and that counts you, ya hear me?"

He leaned over so his face was leveled with Silver's, then continued.

"And if I got to know you a little better, I know for sure that I'd find a hundred great qualities you have."

Gold smiled faintly, and waited for a reply, which he got after the redhead wiped his tears away with his palm and sniffled.

"You don't have to be this nice to me, you know."

His rival raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"I know you hate my guts. If I were you, I sure would. I've insulted you so many times, and if those things were said about me, I'd leave the guy who said them behind in the dust."

Hate his guts? I mean, he didn't particularly like Silver, but he didn't think he was a bad person, nor did he hate him. He's seen Silver challenge Team Rocket all on his own and admonished them for troubling people. Sure, his way of treating Pokémon was frowned upon, but he wasn't downright abusive, and his tactics seemed to work well enough considering how disciplined and strong they were. He'd even shown signs of changing his ways of training, and as a result his Pokémon seemed noticeably happier and more determined to do well for their trainer. Pondering on all of this for a while, Gold worked out what to say.

"I don't hate you at all. Being rude or cocky doesn't make you a bad person, and even so, it doesn't mean you cant change at all. I cant judge your whole personality based off a few battles and bad run-ins. But, if anything, I admire you for starting to change."

The brunet shrugged as Silver gradually began to look up towards him.

"I'll admit, I'm stubborn and I probably couldn't do that too fast."

The redhead scoffed and narrowed his eyes, puffy from crying.

"Whatever. That doesn't mean anything if I'm weak."

"What? You're not weak!"

"I lost to you, I always do, and we started our journey at the exact same time."

"Well... that doesn't make you weak. I mean, our journeys' weren't the same, neither are our teams or how we train 'em. But still, you've gotten really close to kicking my butt a few times!"

Silver scoffed again at that comment. That part probably wasn't the best thing to say. Gold quickly moved on.

"A-and besides all that, who says you're all done growing? Who says where you are now is the strongest you'll ever be? No way is that true, you've got a whole lot more ahead of you that you'll face together with your Pokémon, and you'll all be stronger because of it! You know that, right?"

Silver froze. Despite everything, despite every horrible thing he called Gold for no good reason, despite shoving him to the ground when he had only tried to introduce himself, despite risking both of their lives at the Goldenrod Radio Tower out of pure spite... Gold was here for him. Silver debated on whether his rival was the stupidest person on earth or some sort of compensation the universe was giving him for every shitty person in his life, but at this point, he didn't care. 

Tears streaked down his cheeks as his eyes grew wide and his mind went haywire. There were so many feelings coarsing through his head at that moment. Surprise, confusion, relief, frustration, gratitude. It was all too much.

"Um... are you alright?"

Without a second thought, or a first thought for that matter, Silver lunged forward and wrapped his arms tight around Gold, burying his face in his neck as his sobbing started again, much louder this time. The brunet was surprised to say the least, his face was that of shock and his face grew a pale pink. He hesitated for a brief moment and, without another word, pulled Silver closer and began stroking his fiery red hair. He was warm and smelled faintly of something smoky yet sweet, which only made the embrace even more entrancing.

The hug lasted for what felt like hours. And that evening, without Gold even knowing it, a lifetime of tears were shed into the shoulder of his soft red hoodie, and the seed for an unlikely yet inseparable friendship took root.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why hello there! thank you so much for reading all the way to the end :) if you enjoyed then good news: I've got a lot of ideas and a lot of time, so prepare for more of these 2 cuties coming your way!
> 
> also, I'd like to give a mention to a fantastic author called juulz who also writes about these 2 and has an amazing ongoing series. i highly recommend it! :D
> 
> one more thing: I have a tumblr blog called nailnaimo where I post art and stuff, mostly pokemon related, so check it out if you feel like it :)


	2. Beachside (Pt. 1)

The sun shone down harshly on Olivine City: a port city which housed the S.S Aqua and many other luxury liners that carried wealthy passengers and especially strong trainers from region to region. The heat seeped into the stone pavement of sidewalks lining the countless small shops and cafés along the strip, which many bug Pokémon took advantage of and used the heat radiating from it to lift their wings and carry them along effortlessly. On an unusually hot day such as this, the sizable beach located to the east of the city was packed with friends, family, couples and their Pokémon, all fending off the unrelenting heat by cooling down in the oceans brisk depths.

Sitting at a small table for 2 located on a wooden patio overlooking the crowded beach, using the umbrella erected in the middle of it as cover from the scorching sun, was Silver. He still wore his signature tight black jacket and faded blue jeans in spite of the heat, and if it hadn't been for the shade of the umbrella and the odd cool breeze, he'd be in a whole lot more discomfort than he was now. In all honesty, his limited wardrobe was very much lacking in anything suitable for warmer weather, but he told himself that a bit of heat wasn't worth buying a whole new outfit for- and with his current situation, he needed to travel light.

He leaned over the side of the balcony to view the beach and its occupants. People and Pokémon all engaged in their own seaside activities; sunbathing, beach volley, sandcastle making... the once expansive beach was jammed with life, all packed together in close proximity like the small tanks full of Magikarp often sold for cheap by shady vendors in the downtown area.

The sight made Silver leagues more uncomfortable than his own poor outfit choice. Crowds were among some of his least favourite things, along with heat and romance films, so mixing two of those three things together crafted a place where the teen would kill not to be in right now. He'd much rather be out training in Mt. Mortar or Ice Path, somewhere that didn't feel as if it was being burnt to the ground by a furious Moltres, had it not been for who he was there to meet up with.

As if on cue, he was brought back from his minds depths by the familiar voice of a frantic teenager growing closer behind him, paired with the sound of sneakers on stone pavement.

"Heyyy Silverrr!"

Gold shouted in the direction of his redheaded rival. He sighed as the brunet boy finally arrived 15 minutes later than he should've, panting and out of breath as he took his seat on the stool across from him. He was dressed much more appropriately than Silver was, wearing his usual sneakers and backwards hat, paired with baggy shorts and a black t-shirt with a Pichu's face printed on the front. Eventually, he caught his breath enough to deliver an apology.

"Sorry I'm... Late again... Something came up..."

Gold said through laboured breaths. Once he was situated, Silver sighed then spoke, sounding more displeased than he actually was.

"How come you can never arrive on time?"

Gold chuckled and, still panting, somewhat answered his question.

"I know dude, I know, but gimme a break, i-it totally wasn't my fault this time!"

Gold exclaimed while heaving his bag off from his shoulder and onto his lap. It was unzipped halfway to accommodate for the size of the large cylindrical container inside it. Silver spoke again, a bit less annoyed and a bit more curious. he pointed indiscriminately at the strange container.

"Does it have anything to do with that thing sticking out of your bag?"

Gold answered, clearly enthused at Silver taking notice of it and excited to tell him more.

"It sure does! Good eye, Silv!"

He scoffed at the boys comment and the nickname he had given up on telling him to stop using, then gave his reply.

"Well I can't NOT see it, it's sticking out like a sore thumb... what is that thing anyway?"

He adopted a more questioning tone, a bit confused as to what Gold had just set down onto the table between them. The redhead inspected the contents a bit closer. Inside the contianer, resting ontop of a small cushion, was a pink, almost spherical object, with white stars dotting its pearly surface. Gold happily answered his perplexed friend.

"It's a Pokémon egg! And a weird one at that, I've never seen one like this before... My gram and gramps at the Daycare were given it by a trainer who couldn't take care of it, and since they were busy and I was heading out with you today, they gave it to me to take care of. Pretty neat, huh?"

An egg? Silver hadn't actually seen a Pokémon egg in real life until now, and had only ever seen generic depictions of one; an off-white and green-spotted version, on merchandise and the like. It was a little surprising to him that they came in different shapes, colours and sizes like the one in front of him, but it made sense the more he thought about it. He was about to ask another question, genuinely curious and wanting to know more about Pokémon eggs, but instead he just snickered and raised an eyebrow upon thinking of something to tease his rival about.

"Considering you're the one taking care of it, I'm surprised it's still in one piece. It might've been better off if they gave it to a hungry Arbok."

In response to the snide remark, Gold exaggerated an offended expression and was quick to defend himself.

"Hey! I'll have you know I've been taking care of eggs since I was a little kid, I grew up in a house full of baby Pokémon so if anyone know how to handle an egg, it's me!"

In the process of swinging his arm to the side to point with his thumb towards himself as a gesture of pride in his abilities, he grazed the eggs container, causing it to wobble and nearly topple over. Gold scrambled to steady the container with a panicked shout. The sight caused Silver to stifle a laugh, then lose his composure and chuckle heartily, genuinely.

The brunet gazed up at his friend, face growing bright red from embarrassment and from the sight in front of him. Gold realized he's never actually seen Silver laugh before, say for a few dry chuckles paired with cocky smirks. Granted, this was at his expense, but... still, the sight was surprising and he couldn't look away. He began to chuckle sheepishly along with him which lasted all but a few seconds until Silver composed himself again, still smiling, then shook his head.

"You're an idiot."

His words weren't laced with spite or malice like they used to be months ago, it felt more like a playful jab from one friend to another, which was practically unheard of coming from Silver, but it was certainly a welcome change.

Gold shook himself back to reality after realizing that he was staring at the other boy for an uncomfortable amount of time, and the reason why escaped him. He was eager to shift the focus away from his two consecutive slip-ups and was searching for something else to bring up, when he remembered a small gift he'd brought for his friend: a bottle of Moomoo milk he picked up on the way to Olivine. It was a little pricey, especially because of the low supply in lieu of their prized Miltank falling ill, but it was oh so delicious. At least, Gold thought so. Hoping he wasn't lactose intolerant or something of the sort, he picked his bag from off the ground and rummaged through the contents for the bottle.

"Oh yeah! I, uh, picked up something for you on the way here."

"...Huh?"

Silver cocked his head to the side as his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Why in the world would he do that? Gold didn't need to repay him for anything, or at least he didn't think so...

The brunet cheerfully placed the glass bottle on the table and slid it closer to Silver, his smile as warm and radiant as the suns' rays beaming down around them. Immediately, the redhead felt heat rising up his cheeks, tinting his face a light pink as his confusion intensified.

"Here you go! It's Moomoo milk from the ranch just before Olivine. I dont know if you've tried it or not, but I figured maybe you'd like it! And it's a little pricey right now, so..."

Gold trailed off, but Silver took note of his last comment. Pricey? That was what this is all about? He should've known it wasn't just a gift or whatever, it was clearly an insult- an attack.

"Pricey? What, you think I cant afford it?"

His sudden shift to a scrutinizing demeanor caused Gold to recoil in surprise.

"Huh? N-no, I-"

"You think I'm dirt poor and starving? Tch, I dont need your handouts. I'm fine on my own."

The brunets bright smile fell from his face and was replaced with regret and befuddlement, for he had just unknowingly and unintentionally offended the friend we was still struggling to earn the trust of. He started to backpedal rapidly on his statements.

"I didn't mean it that way at all! I-I just meant that if you wanted to try it to see if you liked it then you could for free instead and you wouldn't have to waste your money at all if you didn't... like it..."

By the end of his rambling sentence, he was deflated and remorseful. He rubbed his arm and fixed his gaze on the stone floor.

"It was just a present, cuz, y'know... that's what friends do."

Silver's expression quickly softened upon hearing what the well-meaning boy sitting across from him had to say. Then he felt the shame set in for his knee-jerk reaction to a couple harmless words. He studied Gold for a second, hunched over and looking like he'd just done something unforgivable. Seeing the normally cheerful and naive boy, the same one who happened to be the only person he appreciated and more than tolerated the presence of, looking sufficiently crushed felt wrong. And it felt even worse knowing he caused it, especially only a short time after the incident between them in Victory Road. And this was how Silver repayed him for the only comfort he's received in years? The redhead sighed deeply and shifted his gaze from Gold to the bottle in front of him. Ontop of everything else, he really just allowed his pride to be damaged by his friend giving him a bottle of milk? He really was pathetic.

The clink and pop of a metal cap being screwed off of the glass bottle caught Gold's attention, causing him to look up from the ground and towards the boy in front of him. Silver lifted the bottle to his lips and, fully expecting the unfamiliar beverage to taste like something akin to liquid fat, took a small sip. The cold milk ran smoothly and satisfyingly down his throat, and the taste was rich and buttery like whipped frosting, but much lighter. Not usually a taste he gravitated towards, but he was thoroughly surprised by just how much he liked it. He set down the bottle and wiped his mouth with his sleeve, then gave a small, humoured smirk.

"It's... not terrible. But, you're right, I'm glad I didn't waste my own money on it."

The brown-haired boy looked on with wide eyes, then cracked a smile. In Silver-speak, he was pretty sure that meant: 'sorry, and thank you'.

"Heh, that's good. If you don't like it, I could finish it off for you."

Silver was quick to reject his offer while still hiding his newfound enjoyment for the drink. 

"It's fine, I'll still drink it. In this sort of weather, I'll take what I can get."

Gold chuckled as his smile returned to his face once again. A moment later, Silver gave one more remark.

"Wait, you said got it on the way here? So you running late WAS still your fault then, huh?"

His bright smile turned sheepish as Silver snickered at another display of his friends endearing idiocy. This was certainly the most feelings he's felt in a long, long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading chapter 2! This one was very fun to write, and I love picturing what Silvers laugh would sound like :) i planned for this chapter to have something else in it, but seeing as how long it was already, I decided to save it for the next chapter which will directly follow the events of this one. oh, and I didn't just shove the egg in there for no reason, it'll come up again in a later chapter :o
> 
> I reeeeally hope you enjoyed and please know that every little bit of support goes straight to my heart♡


	3. Beachside (Pt. 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> quick note:   
> a " - " indicates a time or location skip, added for clarity :)

As the afternoon turned to late evening, the sun's merciless wrath had finally begun to mitigate as it sunk halfway below the horizon, enveloping everything in a golden-yellow light. The change in temperature from unbearable heat to lukewarm accompied by chill breezes, was welcomed by Silver. His clothing was less than appropriate for the sweltering summer climate, but the taller boy who walked in front of him in shorts and a t-shirt didn't seem to notice or care it at all. 

Gold hopped from peg to peg on a small log fence low to the ground, held together with thick rope that separated the wooden boardwalk from the now barren beach, who's tide was beginning to rise in slowly. The cheerful boys' arms were outstretched on either side to keep himself steady, and the container carrying the peculiar egg he had shown to his friend earlier in the day bounced slightly within its bag with every jump. Silver watched the egg sway with Gold's careless movement, and cringed at the thought of a breeze causing him to lose his balance, falling over and smashing the egg within its transparent confines. The redheaded trainer felt the need to scold him for putting the egg in danger, but was determined to remain aloof.

"Unless you want scrambled eggs, I'd suggest being a little more careful with that thing in your bag."

Gold clumsily turned around on the peg he was balancing on to answer the boy lagging behind him.

"Huh? ...Oh! I gotcha, you're probably right."

He hopped down onto the white sand facing his friend and gave him a wide grin, the golden sunbeams illuminating his face in the quickly dimming daylight. Silver crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow in response.

"What are you smiling at?"

He scrutinized Gold's unreasonably blissful attitude, who answered him with a smile still plastered on his face.

"Nah, nothing much, it's just... It's been a while since I could just relax 'n hang out. I was all busy after I beat Lance and became champion or whatever, there were all these interviews and it was real hectic, and on top of all that I still have that boat ticket from Professor Oak that I can use to get to Kanto, it's a whole lot to take in..."

The redheaded trainer began to feel his eyebrows furrow into a sour expression. Gold was handling his title of new Pokémon champion, a moniker only appointed to the strongest of the strong- the most powerful trainers out there, as if it was an inconvenience to him. The title Silver had made his ultimate goal to earn through hard work and raw strength was stolen from under his nose by a naive 16 year-old from the quaintest town in Johto, and frankly, he would've much preferred if his rival had kept his mouth shut about it. Had Silver heard this coming from him 2 months ago back when the news was still fresh in his mind and his bitterness was at an all time high, he would've lost his temper for the second time today. Then, Gold continued his thoughts.

"But after today, and after all the other times we've hung out and had fun together, the weight of everything is starting to feel a whole lot... I dunno, lighter? It's just real nice to have someone around like you, and when we talk or laugh or walk around together, I feel like I can finally relax and just be the goofball I am."

His eyes trailed away from Silver's and gazed at the brilliant yellow sun, dying the sky shades of blue and purple streaked with sparce gray clouds. He gave a sigh and looked back at his friend once more.

"I'm not sure what's going on in your head, and you probably don't feel the same, but I just wanna let you know... I really appreciate you, Silver, you're the best."

Gold had a strange way of pulling him headfirst through a range of emotions; anger, surprise, bitterness and frustration, but somehow he always ended up feeling like his heart was turned to mush. Gold made him laugh harder than he had in months, cry harder than he had in years, and feel the most care for someone he's ever felt in his entire lifetime. Silver's regular vocabulary didn't include words affectionate enough to describe how he realized he felt towards the boy standing in front of him, but the closest thing he could think of was 'loveable idiot". For just a moment, he pushed everything aside: his bitterness, his rage and his disdain for the world that'd taken so much from him, and gave the brunet a warm smile, shaking his head softly.

"I appreciate you too Gold, but honestly, you're too nice for your own good."

The taller boys face contorted into an expression of overwhelming joy at Silver's reply. It was a better response than he could've ever hoped for, taking into account his friends usual smug attitude. Tears welled at the corner of his amber-coloured eyes as he leapt forward and embraced Silver in a tight hug. He might've lowered his walls and exposed his heart for his friend, but he was still, well, Silver. He was a complete sourpuss by nature, and in response to the hug, rolled his eyes and raised a single arm to awkwardly pat his back. Coming from him though, this was an action that Gold cherished. He tightened his hug and rested his chin ontop of the shorter boys head, wishing this could last forever.

The tender moment was cut shorter than the two boys would've liked by the shrill ringtone of Gold's Pokégear. Both of their eyes widened, caught off guard by the sudden interruption, then the brunet pulled away swiftly and looked down at the device strapped to his wrist. His mom was calling, and just then he realized he was once again running late, as he had promised his mom he'd be home that evening then would be staying the week. 

"Sorry, Silv, my mom's calling..."

Silver smirked then crossed his arms and nodded in acknowledgement. Gold sighed and prepared for a slight scolding as he walked a short distance away, so Silver wouldn't hear the exchange and tease him about it later. This was all in vain however, as his mother's opening greeting was loud enough to wake a hibernating Ursaring.

"Gold? Honey? Why in the world are you 2 hours late!?"

"I know mom, I know, I just-"

"I sent you so many messages and you never answered! I was so worried something horrible had happened to you and I'd see you reported missing on the news in the morning!"

Gold's mom was normally lenient and tolerant of his poor time management, especially with curfews, but 2 hours with no contact was a lot, even for him. In all honesty, he deserved this. As his mother dished out scoldings followed by worries she had about worst case scenarios followed by more scoldings, he let her say her part as he glanced back at Silver. He was stifling his laughs by covering his mouth with his hand, to which Gold pouted and blushed at. Thoroughly embarrassed, he turned back towards his Pokégear, sensing that his mom would finish her lecture soon.

"Just... don't ever be this late again, alright sweetie? I love you very much."

"Sorry mom, I think I was just distracted for a while... but I understand, love ya too."

His mother adopted her usual kind and inquisitive nature once more.

"Oh, you're out with your friend right now, aren't you? His name was... Silver, right? It's so cute that you two have matching names, what are the odds!"

Strangely enough, he hadn't thought of that before, but it did seem fairly unlikely. He made a mental note to bring that up to him later, then answered his mother.

"Oh yeah, you're right! Hadn't thought of that before. But uh, we're still hanging out now, we were just taking a walk in Olivine City."

"Well that sounds fun! Say, it's getting pretty late though, so if he wants to, then you should ask him if he'd like to stay over for the night! You haven't had a friend over in a while since Lyra and her family came over for dinner before you left home. There's still leftovers here in the fridge, and he's welcome to eat his fill."

Gold wasn't entirely sure if Silver would agree to come home with him, nevermind for the whole night, but considered the prospect of using this to become even closer to his friend. He also considered the possibility of him being able to come over and play video games in his room in the future, and decided it was worth the risk.

"Hm... you're right, mom. I'll ask him now actually, thanks a ton!"

"Sure thing sweetie, I'll see you in a bit then. Take care! "

A small click signaled the end of the call as he turned to face Silver, still snickering a bit from his reprimanding earlier, then asked him the aforementioned question.

"Hey, Silver..."

"Hm?"

He cocked his head to the side.

"I dont know if you've got somewhere else to stay for the night or not, but... do you maybe wanna spend the night at my place? My mom made dinner, and there's enough for you if you'd like, but you dont have to eat at all if you don't feel like it... I just think it could be fun, like a sleepover! Whaddya say?"

Feeling like he covered all his bases well enough to not accidentally offend Silver like he had earlier that day, Gold awaited his reply with an eager smile.

A little surprised by the unexpected question, he went over it a couple times in his head, rubbing his chin with the knuckle of his index finger. He was definitely comfortable with Gold, comfortable enough to stay overnight at his house even, which was something he hadn't ever done with a friend before, mostly because he hadn't ever had an actual friend. He knew that his house wasn't crowded at all, as he had mentioned only living with his mom in New Bark Town, and judging by his appearance, he kept a good level of hygiene as well, which meant his house wouldn't be dirty at all. Ontop of all of that, he wouldn't mind seeing what his room looked like, and having a more secluded place to meet up from then on in the case of poor weather like today would be a good thing. Covering all of these points, it seemed like a decent idea to Silver. Except for one thing.

Gold surprisingly didn't have any knowledge of his living situation, and that was intentional on his part. He was homeless, has been for a while, and was currently set up in a cheap family-run Inn located in Blackthorn city for easy access to his current training grounds of Victory Road. He kept it a secret to the brunet, mostly to avoid embarrassment and to not make it seem like he was seeking pity or a free room. He didn't need anyone else after all, he was doing just fine on his own. However, if Gold were to find out the gravity of his situation, he'd see that the rival he thought was strong and focused was just barely managing the costs of his room with money earned from countless Pokémon battles and eating just once a day. Knowing Gold, he had no doubts in his mind that the selfless, kind boy would offer for him to stay at least just the night at his house, if not longer. He was incredibly hesitant to let him see that side of his life, and even more so to show a smidgen of weakness by forfeiting his solitary lifestyle for a night. Despite that, something deep down in the depths of his mind told him that with Gold, showing vulnerability and giving in to a night of comfort wouldnt cost him his dignity, nor the respect of his friend. Somehow, he felt like it would all be ok.

Considering and reconsidering his options over and over and over again, he sighed and made his final decision.

"Fine, why not. It wouldn't be the worst way on earth to spend my night."

"Really!? Sweet!"

Gold looked ecstatic, and that alone made swallowing his pride and deciding to stay for the night a good decision in his books. But now came the hard part: he would learn the truth about the Silver's situation. The thought of being heckled and being looked down upon and pitied made him shudder, but that same reassuring thought from the back of mind once again told him that Gold could truly be trusted. 

"Mannn this is gonna be so awesome! I have popcorn we can make and cheesy action movies we can watch and this huge Snorlax beanbag that we can lay on and-"

Silver reached behind Gold's head and yanked the brim of his hat upwards, which pulled the back of it over his eyes, startling him and ceasing his excited ramblings.

"Oh hush, you're getting way ahead of yourself. Let's at least stop by and grab my stuff first."

The taller boy re-adjusted his cap and laughed sheepishly.

"Heh, y-you're right. Uh, speaking of that, where DO you live exactly?"

Well, here goes nothing.

-

With Silver flying on the back of his Golbat, and Gold flying on that of his Noctowl trailing close behind, they arrived in front of the rundown looking Inn within 10 or so minutes. Gold looked up at the building, 2 stories tall, and looking as if it were falling apart at the seams. There was a nest of Hoothoot in the rafters that he could just barely catch a glimpse at. To be honest, he was a bit taken aback that this was where his seemingly well put together rival was staying, for who knows how long. When they first met, Silver gave him spoiled rich kid vibes, and had always pictured him crying to his parents after he beat him in a battle, and then they'd buy him new rare Pokémon and expensive clothes to stop his relentless tantrums. While the thought made him laugh back then, he saw Silver in a much, much different light now. 

All of his Pokémon, except for his starter Cyndaquil which he had stolen from Professor Elm's lab, weren't particularly rare. Infact, most of them were common encounters that Gold had seen on his journey, however they were all meticulously trained and evolved. As for his clothes, looking back now on every memory of their encounters, both recent and distant, Silver had always worn the exact same outfit, no matter what, And it was a fairly worn one at that; his faded blue jeans had rips and tears, and the black boots he wore were noticeably scuffed. His jacket appeared to be damaged as well on the sleeves and elbows, which were presumably from trips and falls he took while training or traversing rough terrain. Surely if he was well-off, he could afford at least one alternate outfit. The more he thought about it, perhaps this was all the reason why he wore what he did today, despite the scorching weather.

"I'll be a couple minutes, so wait right here."

"Gotcha."

Gold notified his mother through the Pokégear's texting app that they were retrieving some of Silver's things, as to not receive another verbal beatdown in the future for being even later, and waited outside with his trusty flying-type just as his redheaded friend had ordered him to do. He presumed this was just because there was no need for the both of them to come inside, but as he had entered the Inn leaving him outside, he sensed Silver's aloofness towards him more than ever, as if he wanted to get things over with at the Inn as quickly as possible. With nothing else to do but wait, he spoke to his companion standing next to him

"Noctowl... do you think he's warming up to me? I mean, I think I'm doing an alright job at keeping him happy and comfortable. He didn't shove me away when I hugged him earlier, and he didn't even call me a name when I started rambling like a doofus about things we could do tonight, which I think counts for something."

The only response the Pokémon gave his trainer was a gentle head nod.

"Heh, glad you think so..."

A short while later, Silver walked out of the creaky wooden doors with nothing but a mid-sized gym bag hanging loosely from his shoulder, and Gold greeted him with a smile swiftly followed by a question. 

"Is that everything you need?"

Well, realistically, it was pretty much every personal item he owned; A hairbrush, a toothbrush, an extra pair of socks and underwear and a red water bottle. Instead of admitting that, though, he gave a reply to his eager friend.

"Dumb question, but yes. Let's get outta here now before your mom gives you a timeout, alright?"

Even without a smirk to indicate that he was poking fun at the brown-haired trainer, he was fluent enough in Silver's way of speaking to understand that he was only joking. Gold chuckled and elbowed his arm playfully, which then earned him the smirk that was absent before on the teens pale face. 

Noctowl was right, Silver was warming up to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gah this was a long one!! so much so that the next chapter will be following the events where this one left off, just like the last one... this trend probably wont continue too often in the future, but theres just been a whole lot I felt like covering in the beginning chapters, so, forgive me! '^^ i think I'll start separating the chapters into parts if they directly follow the events of the last, just so I wont have to make a note everytime lol. 
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoyed! this has been a blast to work on so far and I'm planning on doing some artwork for it too! (which I'll probably be posting on tumblr @ nailnaimo, incase you wanna see :,D)


	4. Beachside (Pt. 3)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> quick note:  
> no matter how hard I looked I could NOT find a canon name for Gold's mother, so... I made one up! and it's also a shade of yellow so I thought it worked well :) anyways, enjoy!

"Mooom, I'm back!"

Gold shouted as he walked through the aged wooden doorframe, with Silver following close behind, surveying his new surroundings. His call reverberated in the slightly cramped, square space that served as the first floor of the boy and his mother's small but welcoming home.

The redheaded teen accompanying him examined the room, from the mid-sized wooden table offset from the center of the room and placed to the right, then up to the kitchen area in the top right with a TV placed next to the counter, and finally to the narrow wooden staircase in the left corner leading to a second floor. Adjacent to the wall where the front entrance was placed, there were 2 doors, which Silver could only assume were a bedroom, and a bathroom. He knew Johto homes tended to be small and modest, but he hadn't realized just how small until now, due in part to the fact that he hadn't ever been inside one in recent memory. His focus was shifted from viewing the room before him to the sound of footsteps rapidly descending the creaky wooden stairs. The lady who greeted them was average height and in her mid-thirties, wearing a light-pink summer dress with a headband atop hair a much lighter shade than Gold's dark brown, almost black locks.

"Oh! Welcome back, Gold, this must be your friend! Silver, was it?"

She paced closer to the shorter trainer and outstretched both of her hands to take one of his, then shook it excitedly. Gold stifled a laugh at his mothers zealous attitude, and Silver, clearly uncomfortable at the unwanted physical contact, tacked on a polite but completely ingenuine smile and introduced himself.

"Yes, I'm Silver, it's nice to meet you, miss."

Finally, she let go of him to wave a hand at him abashedly.

"Oho, miss? You're too kind! Just call me Amber, it's wonderful to meet you as well. I'm quite flattered by your politeness, if only my boy could be as sweet as you. You know, he talks about you a lot!"

Once she had finished her sentence and began chuckling to nobody but herself, Gold chimed in, face bright red, to prevent anymore awkward conversation on his mother's behalf.

"Well, Mom, Silver's gonna be staying here tonight, ok? He brought his stuff and everything sooo we're gonna head to my room now, thanks!"

Within the span of that sentence, the brunet had wrapped his hand around Silver's comparitively small wrist and yanked him towards wooden steps, leading him into his room and closing the door shut behind them. Surverying the room once again, it appeared to be about half the size of the main floor and much cleaner than he had expected from Gold. The room wasn't huge, but for a bedroom it was appropriately sized and could fit the 2 of them comfortably. After his assessment, Silver set down his bag of belongings next to the door frame as his friend gave a relieved sigh.

"Heh, sorry about that, Silv... she gets real excited about any friends I bring over, especially because it's been a while since I had anyone hang out at my place."

As he ended his sentence, he collapsed with his arms outstretched onto his queen-size bed littered with a variety of Pokémon plushies and fitted with a cozy looking black blanket, complete with a lightning bolt pattern printed in yellow in the bottom left corner. Silver strode over to the same edge of the large bed and seated himself next to his brown-haired friend, who laid sprawled out and relaxed. 

"Don't worry about it. I got out alive, didn't I?"

Gold turned his head to look up at the other boy, who had a usual smirk painted on his face, the kind that filled him with joy to see; a genuine happy expression tuned to fit Silver's snarky personality.

"Heheh, barely..."

The brunets calm yellow eyes wandered from his friends pale face down to the floor and up to the DVD shelf positioned next to his TV. He sprung up from his reclined position on the bed, remembering his proposition to the other teen hours earlier in the day.

"Oh! If you want to, we can pick out some of these movies I have to watch later tonight!"

Stepping in front of the shelf which measured about half his height, he kneeled in front of it and gestured for Silver to join him. Instead, he gave him a blunt objection.

"Psh, I'll pass. Movies aren't my thing. I dont get the point of watching something that isn't real."

Gold was quick to begin his bartering, determined to live out his plans of having a true sleepover with the friend he so adored. And, of course, it wouldn't be a true sleepover without a movie or 2.

"Well there's not just movies, there's shows too! C'mon, I have a ton of stuff here, there's gotta be something you'll like."

The redhead rolled his eyes and removed himself from his seat on the boys bed to join him in front of the packed shelf, somehow compelled once again to appease the wishes of the bright-eyed brunet. As soon as he was kneeled down beside him, arms crossed and begrudgingly open to whatever ridiculous options Gold had in store for him, he began sliding out case after case from the jammed rows of movies and shows he had to offer. Though not organized alphabetically or by genre, cases from the same series were placed together. Looking over the rows of DVDs, one cluster in particular caught his eye, primarily because it seemed to be the longest series of Gold's vast collection. Tuning out the other boy's stream of suggestions from his mind for a moment, he slipped a case, the first addition of the series, out from the other ones it was wedged between, then read the cover out loud.

"Master Heroes Omega: Duo of Justice - Volume 1?"

Gold ceased his listings then let out a hearty laugh, while Silver only looked on in confusion and annoyance. He managed to halt his laughter to give somewhat of an explanation to the perplexed Silver.

"Aw man, that's priceless, out of everything here you went and picked out the cheesiest, weirdest series of em all?"

The redhead blushed, embarrassed, then went on the defensive.

"Hey, it's not like I knew what it was! Why did you think I read the case out loud, you dolt!"

"I know, I know, I just thought it was funny that out of everything, THAT was what caught your eye. It's a pretty old series and the animation kinda sucks nowadays, but there's still a lot to like about it. It's not really my thing anymore, but hey! It might be yours!"

Silver raised an eyebrow, very unconvinced by his last statement. Still curious, he began to ask a bit more about the apparently outdated show.

"Well... What's it about?"

"Oh jeez, where to begin... well, the 2 main characters are a little boy with superpowers named Ari and a talking Clefable that team up and fight crime, and it's like that for the first few episodes until the villain show's up, and he's like, Ari's evil twin, even though he's older than him? And so they fight, and then reunite to find their long lost sister and Clefable's ancient ancestors who happened to actually create the universe with a sealed away power that they have to unlock by using the power of a legendary Pokemon's' Hyper Beam, and..."

Gold looked back up from the flashy illustrated cover of the case and noticed that his friends eyes had narrowed and glazed over while listening to his sloppy synopsis, which was about the reaction he expected.

"Well, I guess it's not really something you can explain, it's something you just watch and... try to understand."

Silver gave a little snicker and that same amused smirk that had been present on his face for most of today, then shook his head.

"From what I payed attention to, it sounds absolutely ridiculous."

Gold gave a sigh and a laugh in one, sounding like a sharp exhale, and was displaying a smile of his own.

"Believe me, it get's even more ridiculous than that. Do you wanna watch a couple episodes, then? It's really the only way to get what it's about, heh..."

The answer Silver gave him was the one he was hoping for, but it surprised him nonetheless.

"Sure, why not? If nothing else, it'll be worth a good laugh from how bad it is. It could be fun." 

The boy's bright eyes widened, as did his smile, at having miraculously found something his friend was open to watching. Even if it may not have been on the terms Gold would've preferred, it was something. His excitement came to a head as he lunged towards Silver for a small but tight hug, which he made no effort to avoid, by now having gotten very much used to sudden embraces from the cheerful brunet.

"Yeah! That's the spirit!"

The hug ended the moment he finished his exclamation, as he quickly thought up more conditions for his ideal sleepover.

"Oh! We can't watch anything without getting comfy first! You brought pajamas, right?"

Among the long, long list of things Silver didn't have, pajamas were on it. He didn't find it entirely necessary on his shoestring budget, so he took to simply not wearing them at night, which also cut down on the amount of laundry he'd have to do. But of course, he couldn't admit to either not having them or just sleeping naked, so he told a partial lie.

"I... didn't bring any."

"Oh, that's no problem!"

Gold nodded and stood up from his kneeling position, and Silver eyed him as he walked over to a tall, black dresser placed against a wall next to his bed. Once crouched in front of it, he pulled open the bottom black drawer, which appeared stuffed with neatly folded clothes. He highly doubted that Gold was the one who folded and packed them so uniformly.

"You can borrow something from me tonight! Just look through this bottom drawer on my dresser and there should be tons of stuff you can wear."

Silver sighed and rolled his sharp gray eyes at another display of his friend's infuriatingly loveable kindness. Since, for some odd reason, the idea of wearing Gold's clothing didn't revolt the redheaded teen nearly as much as it should've, the only thing stopping him from accepting the offer graciously was his own stubbornness. He considered any more than one act of kindness towards him to be enough to be a mooch, and at this point, he'd lost count of how many sweet and selfless things Gold had done for him.

After cursing himself internally for describing the brown-haired dolt of a trainer as sweet, he quickly began turning down the proposition.

"What? No way, I can't, at that point I'd just be a mooch. It's not like I'd wanna wear any of your clothes anyways."

At this point, Gold was acutely aware that with a little gentle prodding, he could break through Silver's stubborness and get the fiery teen to comply with him for his own good. And so, he got to work doing just that.

"Don't worry about it, Silv. If I wasn't fine with you doing it then I wouldn't be offering, so that doesn't make you a mooch! Besides, I haven't really been home in months so everything in here's all clean, you won't catch cooties or anything." 

He gave an exaggerated, sarcastic eyeroll of his own and gestured for Silver to join him in front of the dresser. Gold's 'gentle prodding' method proved to be effective as, with a big sigh and crossed arms, his friend trudged over and crouched beside him. Satisfied, the brunet grinned widely and ruffled Silver's bright red head of hair.

"Well, I'm gonna go set up the show 'n everything, you pick out whatever you like, mkay?"

He only received a glare and a pale blushing face as a reply from the boy, but considering it was Silver, he saw that as sufficient. Gold then walked off to begin preparing a comfortable space in front of the TV for the undecided number of episodes they'd be watching, leaving Silver crouching before the open drawer. Knelt down with his arms crossed and pinkish face, he pondered in his mind for a moment. What in the world was it that made Gold so... un-hateable? If anyone else had ruffled his hair so nonchalantly like that, he would've struck them down where they stood. Yet, somehow, he just couldn't ever bring himself to be more than plain annoyed with the brunet, and even that usually only lasted for a few moments before Gold would do something stupidly adorable that'd turn his heart into a puddle and make him do anything to see his cheerful smile back on his face again. Thinking over everything, Silver felt... dumb, mostly; dumb for describing his friend with those saccharine words, and dumb for thinking so much about it when the subject of his thoughts was just meters away. Pushing his puzzling feelings down to the depths of his mind for further consideration, he decided to focus on the task at hand instead.

Looking over the first few shirts on the top layer, he didn't think any of them were particularly his style. Most of them were graphic tees with images of baby Pokémon on them or obscenely colorful by his standards. On the second layer, he saw more of the same; baby Pokémon, vibrant colours, and more baby Pokémon... Finally, near the bottom of the drawer he saw what appeared to be a plain black t-shirt, only to unfold it and see a Pikachu printed on it, with the caption "Pika-You Can Do This!". He gave an exacerbated sigh and turned with the shirt in hand towards Gold, who was in the process of setting down several pillows and blankets from off his bed, and organizing them into a sort of nest shape.

"Ugh, why do you have the wardrobe of a 3rd grader?"

Silver asked him, making no effort to hide his irritation.

"What, not your style?"

Gold's remark was followed by a snort from him, and a glare from his clearly fed-up friend. He sighed, still smiling, and gave Silver the answer he wanted.

"Alright alriiight, I think I've got some plain ol' t-shirts in the drawer right above that one."

Turning back around to the dresser, he opened the second-most bottom drawer and found a blueish gray t-shirt folded and placed next to a pair of shorts, similar in colour to the jacket he was already wearing. Unfolding and examining the shirt revealed no markings or patterns, to Silver's relief. Though it was just pajamas, the boy still liked to keep things to his exact liking. He began unzipping the navy blue jacket, which was incredibly relieving to be out of after the hot weather he had endured in it earlier that day, but he paused and turned his head to see Gold's bright eyes and well-meaning smile staring him down.

"T-turn around! I'm not undressing with you staring right at me."

His sharp remark seemed to snap the other boy out of his mindless gaze.

"Ah! Right, sure thing, sorry, Silv."

He steered his head back to position to continue organizing their makeshift bed on the ground, chuckling timidly to alleviate the awkward moment. Silver, face pink once again, turned back towards the dresser. Taking off the worn garment, in addition to his long, equally as worn and uncomfortable jeans, he slipped the shirt over his head and tugged on its hem to adjust it. Wearing the shirt that hung loosely off his rather petite body, partly exposing a pale shoulder, he had only just begun to truly realize the difference in size between him and Gold. Though their heights weren't much different, he was much broader and fuller than Silver, who had a small frame he attempted to fill in with baggier, thicker clothing, thinking he appeared weak and frail otherwise. After the realization had sunken in, Silver looked down at himself, and overwhelming wave of shame washed over him. His legs were thin and lanky, and his hips and waist were placed higher on his body than that of any regular guys'. He absolutely hated how his body looked; feminine and fragile, complementing how much he hated the rest of himself. 

He was just about to throw in the towel and put back on his worn and dirty street clothing, when a voice from behind interrupted him.

"Wow, lookin' good, Silver!"

The sudden compliment sent a rush of heat through the redhead's whole body, stopping at his cheeks, which now glowed a bright pink. He was torn between brushing it off completely, and telling the boy to shut his mouth, but instead he was drawn to a third option he hadn't even considered yet.

"I... really?"

"Yeah! Dark colours suit you a whole lot, they bring out your hair even more."

At a loss for words, from his own reply and that of his friends, he only let out a single snarky 'tch' before sitting down on Gold's spacious bed, right in front of where he had just finished making their admittedly cozy looking watching area. Though, it seemed to be a lot of effort he put in for just a few episodes they'd be sitting through at most. Regardless, the brunet placed his hands on his hips, looking accomplished.

"There, all done!"

Holding a finger up to Silver to indicate he'd be a second, he walked over to his dresser, and peeled off the black-and-yellow Pichu shirt he'd worn for the entirety of the day followed by his baggy yellow shorts, paying no mind at all to Silver's slate gray eyes watching him slip out of his day's wears. His previous mental remarks about Gold having a noticeably broader and fuller body than him were correct, and something about his skin peppered with scratches and bruises accumulated from his journey and small amounts of muscle in his arms and legs made it hard for Silver to take his eyes off of. Luckily for him, he didnt need to, as the boy picked up one of the vibrantly coloured shirts the redhead had inspected earlier and pulled it snugly over his bare torso. Silver silently cursed himself for staring, and Gold for being so quick to redress.

After flicking off the light, Gold made his way over to the TV and inserted the disc. There was a moment of static, then the menu screen buzzed to life and displayed what appeared to be the 2 main characters with a droning score in the background. Finally, he nestled into the blankets set on the floor and pulled the covers over his shoulders, glancing towards Silver once situated.

"C'mon, get in here with me and let's watch this thing!"

Gold's excitement was present in both his voice and his expression; the same kind of sweet, innocent smile that inexplicably held some sort of power over Silver. 

"Fine, whatever. I don't get why you made this when we'll only be watching a couple episodes."

"Well, you don't know that, maybe you'll like it."

With one final, deep sigh, the redhead stepped into the nest-like arrangement and sat down beside a pleased looking Gold. He reclined, back supported by the giant Snorlax beanbag behind him, and the eager brunet did the same and pressed the 'play' option on the remote, then shot a friendly smile in his direction- one that Silver realized hadn't left his face since they entered the house.

Almost immediately as the opening theme song began, he saw what Gold meant by the animation not holding up too well today. It was choppy and seemed to be missing frames at some points, but the illustrations themselves weren't half bad, and there was a certain kind of nostalgic charm to it. In addition to that, the theme song was surprisingly catchy, and glancing beside him, the brunet seemed to think so too; swaying and bopping his head gently in time with the rhythm. After a flashy but evidently cheaply-made sequence, a title card appeared on screen, reading:   
"EPISODE ONE: A FRIENDSHIP FORMED TO LAST A LIFETIME!"  
Silver subconsciously scoffed at the cheesy title, perfectly complementing the general feel of the rest of the show. There was an establishing shot of a small house shown at night, and a narration that subsequently followed once the shot changed to show a boy reading a storybook.

"ARI NIJIIRO WAS ONLY A SMALL SCHOOLBOY LIVING IN THE KANTO REGION, WHEN ONE DAY..."

The sound of a distant crash could be heard, and Silver found himself inexplicably intrigued. The shot showed the boy running in his pajamas outside to his backyard, in which he found what appeared to be a comet, and the Clefable from the box art and title sequence laying ontop of it.

"A SHOOTING STAR THAT FELL TO EARTH CARRYING A PECULIAR POKÉMON CHANGED HIS LIFE FOREVER!"

A strange, exposition filled opening scene most definitely, but an oddly well executed one nevertheless. This trend of odd and sometimes nonsensical scenes that still remained interesting and kept the redhead wanting more continued. As one episode turned into two, and two turned into three, three turned into the whole volume of 13 individual episodes passing by in what felt like no time at all to Silver. The cheesy and over-the-top animated series shouldn't have been something he'd ever be drawn to, yet he was utterly engulfed by it. He definitely wasn't blind to the shows downfalls though; he was quick to point out flaws in the characters actions or plotholes in the story to Gold, who just agreed with every word he had to say and looked on, astounded at the childlike wonder he had never seen Silver display before. His eyes gazed at the screen wide and alert, and as strange as it was to even think about, the show felt a bit like it was filling a hole in his very being. It alleviated his mind and for once, giving him an interest that wasn't Pokémon battles and strengthening himself for the first time since he was a little kid.

Finally, as the last episode faded to black, leaving much too soon on a major cliffhanger, the teen was left sitting on the edge of his metaphorical seat in complete silence. Then, he spoke up in rage.

"Wait, that was it? That's how they ended the season!? B-But they were only just about to deal a finishing blow to Clefable's evil doppelganger! It's ridiculous, i-it's idiotic, they can't just go and end it like that!"

Silver snarled his words at the TV screen, waving his hands in frustration and glancing back at a bewildered and wordless Gold, who recoiled at his extremely sudden change in mood. He'd gone from entranced to enraged in a matter of seconds, as was somewhat expected of the volatile teen at this point, which prompted the brunet to try and calm him down.

"Hey, chill out, Silv, it was just the first season! I promise it gets all sorted out in the next one, so relax, ok?"

Silver gave a sigh and slumped back down to position, leaning against the Snorlax beanbag with his arms crossed. Gold shot him a warm smile and ejected the disc, then inserted another containing season 2 and returning to his cushion seat next to his friend. The screen hissed to life once again, and it displayed a polished new intro paired with the usual theme song- a serviceable upgrade compared to the last iteration. Almost immediately, it seemed to hold Silver's attention very strongly, and Gold took joy in watching his facial expressions change with the motions of the show. From puzzled when convoluted backstory was explained, to frustrated when characters would do something nonsensical, to a cocky grin when he predicted something correctly, and he could watch him do it all day long. He wasn't quite sure why, but he found something incredibly endearing about the normally sarcastic and abrasive Silver captivated by, and seeming to genuinely enjoy, a children's cartoon from years ago. To him it was, admittedly, adorable to witness.

-

Around 1:00 AM was when they had just started the 4th season out of the 7 available to them, and Silver seemed to become even more enthralled with each new disc they started. This wasn't the case for Gold however, the fact that he had seen the show many times before mixed with his low attention span culminated into his mind wandering and finding something else that he was much more interested in. With his friend completely engaged in the happenings on screen, the brunet had lots of time to study his friend without being scolded for staring, and this brought to attention many details he's never had the chance to take in before. He looked his friend over, starting from the top and gradually moving down. 

His hair was a striking shade of red, one that he had always assumed was dyed artificially, but looking even closer and pondering more, there were no visible roots displaying any hidden natural colour, and surely if it was dyed then he would've noticed it fading at all. Glancing down a little, he saw that his fiery head of hair greatly contrasted his soft, pale, almost porcelain looking skin. His cold, stony-gray eyes simultaneously furthered the contrast and brought his appearance together. Trailing down further, his blueish gray t-shirt, clearly a couple sizes bigger than it's wearer, hung down loosely on Silver's thin body and exposed his shoulder, which only made him even more appealing to the eye. He knew his body was slender and fragile-looking, but Silver was anything but weak, and he had made that very clear time and time again. His boldness and tenacity combined with his striking and ahockingly adorable looks all melded together in Gold's confused and hormonal mind, creating a new feeling he couldn't quite place.

The boy recoiled and blushed heavily from his own thoughts, new and loud and inescapable. He tried his hardest to tell himself that this was nothing but simple admiration, and that all he was doing was appreciating the good looks of another guy. Gold looked back towards Silver, now shaking his head disapprovingly at something happening onscreen, and thought for a few moments. Looking at the bold, focused, beautiful teen next to him, he felt the urge to try something; to shift his attention towards Gold instead, and so he made a little plan that sounded much smoother in his head. 

"Silver?"

"Hm."

He didn't look away from the TV to reply, and judging by his tone, he didn't particularly want to be interrupted.

"You just look a little cold... Here."

Holding 2 corners of the unzipped sleeping bag he'd been swaddling himself in, he moved in close. He reached his arms around the other boy, draping the covers over both of them both and pinning Silvers' own arms to his sides as he tightened his embrace and pulled him closer. Though neither of them said a word for a few moments, there was a thick tension present in the air. Gold braced himself for the moment when the teen he held awkwardly in his arms would struggle away and reprimand him for getting too touchy, which he would understand and apologize profusely for. Small beads of sweat formed on his forehead as he nervously awaited any sort of reply from the unusually quiet and motionless Silver.

"I'm not cold, dummy."

He let out a relieved chuckle at the playful name he surprisingly hadn't heard his friend call him before. Considering this was Silver, his response could've been a whole lot worse, and seeing as he wasn't told to release him from the embrace, Gold took it as a green light to keep hugging. Knowing him, if he wanted the other boy stop, he wouldn't be shy about it. Feeling a little more confident now that the tension had dissipated, the brunet decided to prod him a little to keep the redheads focus on him, so he leaned his head forward slightly to be face-to-face with the teen.

"Not anymore you aren't, you're welcome."

He gave a smug, satisfied grin, which Silver returned an irritated scowl to, noses just inches apart because of how closely Gold was holding him. Even though he was 99% sure Silver was just being his usual grumpy self and wasn't genuinely annoyed with him, there was still that 1% chance of a slap across the face that he didn't want to risk (even if it hasn't happened before). He let go of the boy for a moment while he asked the question.

"Um... You don't mind, right? That I'm always hugging you 'n' stuff?"

Silver's expression lessened into one of contemplation as he worked out how to best answer the query in his mysterious mind. Finally, he shook his head lightly and spoke.

"I mean... I've gotten used to it. But let's just say that if it was anyone else doing it, they wouldn't have arms left to hug me with."

The reason why escaped him, as it was a little dark and vague, but the statement plucked a few heartstrings and caused a small wave of heat to travel up to Gold's cheeks, leaving a big dumb grin on his face. A part of him wanted to tease Silver for outright admitting he was a special case, but the moment felt somewhat tender, and a louder part of Gold told him to keep it that way.

"Heh, well I'm happy to hear that."

The brunets yellow eyes glanced down for a while.

"Sooo... does that mean you'll give me a hug then? Please?"

Gold's expression was bashful as he faced Silver and spread out his arms with hunched shoulders. The redhead studied him, eyebrow raised. Though his knee-jerk reaction was to give a blunt and sarcastic 'as if!', for yet another time today, the boy's sweet, earnest smile and dazzling eyes seemed to be winning over his frigid heart. And so, to both Gold's and his own surprise, Silver leaned forward and placed his chin on the brunets shoulder, loosely and cautiously wrapping both of his arms around the other boy's waist. 

"Don't get used to this."

He muttered sharply, though he was feeling anything but. The sensation of Gold's body pressing lightly against his own was turning his mind to mush from the sheer amount of things rushing through it, and his heart was beginning to pound in his chest. All of these feelings were only exacerbated when the brown-haired boy wrapped his own arms around him, pulling him close and nuzzling his head against Silver's. It felt safe, secure, natural, and like a hundred years worth of fear, hate and pain were gently washed away for however long they stayed like that. Comfortable, snug and peaceful, with the only noise accompanying their soft breaths and beating hearts being the happenings of the forgotten TV show unfolding in the background, their bodies rapidly drifted off, followed shortly by their minds. 

Silver was the first to completely succumb to sleep, arms now hanging lazily around Gold's waist, and chin still perched on his shoulder, allowing him to easily listen to the red haired boy's calm, steady breaths. It was rare to witness him in such a tranquil state, and the brunet would appreciate it much more if his own mind wasn't already slipping away into unconsciousness.

He leaned back with the utmost level of care, not wanting to wake up the peacefully slumbering teen. Gold then carefully moved the boys head so it was resting on his chest, with his arms folded against the soft, cushioned ground. Finally, he grabbed a corner of the sleeping bag he had used to swaddle both Silver and himself in before, and pulled it over both of their bodies. This seemed to be the last little bit of conciousness left in him, as once they were both covered up by the bulky blanket, his eyes drooped closed like the blinds of a window on an obnoxiously sunny day. 

Though both his mind and body had given in to sleep, Gold's bright smile remained painted across his soft lips throughout the whole night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well, this was the last of the ongoing little beachside story! the longest one yet hehe. so I think the next few chapters are gonna be a whole lot shorter, but it all depends :p there are certainly a whole lot of complicated feelings between these 2, eh? I wonder how they'll each go about dealing with em :) 
> 
> also gahhh this thing got over 100 hits in like a week?? thanks so muchhh! I hope everyones enjoying it so far ♡


	5. Moonlit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> quick note:
> 
> text following a ">" means a text message, and text spaced with "~" means a flashback, just incase it wasnt clear :)
> 
> also sorry this took a little longer than usual, I hope it's worth the wait!

> hey gm silv!! ur probably still asleep so im just lettin u kno im gonna be stayin in kanto till friday for some interviews or whatever lol. try not to miss me 2 much hehe ;) cya soon!! <3

Sender: Gold  
Received: Monday, 5:30 AM, 7/10/20

-

Silver read over the message delivered to him 3 days earlier once again, which had to have been around the 20th time he'd done that today alone. He pulled down on the top of the Pokégears small glass screen and refreshed the display in futility, maybe expecting a new message to pop up from his friend, but of course, that never happened. As the message described, he was in Kanto for the week, leaving Silver without his only friend, and nothing much else to do other than train, battle trainers, train some more, then head back home to sleep. Needless to say, he was bored out of his mind. However, boredom was the least of his concerns.

The teen let out a deep sigh into the small, sparce room of the Blackthorn Inn, rolled over from his back to his side on the lumpy bed and stared straight up at the ceiling, restless. Moonlight faintly and barely illuminated the chamber, allowing him to catch glimpses of tree branches outside the window located next to his bed, swaying in the gentle gusts of the cool summer night. As usual when he spent nights all on his own, his mind was bustling with activity, letting him close his eyes for only a few seconds before he'd shoot awake again once a new thought introduced itself. It had been this way for as long as he could remember; sleepless nights due to his constant overwhelming feelings and ideas, usually full of hate and pain and regret. For the past week, however, things have been different in his head, much less disdainful and much more confusing, to a point where he almost preferred the former. Bad childhood memories were much easier to push deep down and ignore than whatever the hell he had been feeling recently.

As he sat up in bed, arms stretched out behind him for support, the thin covers rolled off his upright body. Silver surveyed the room bathed in the minimal natural lighting, sweeping across the length of it then gradually gazing down at his own person. The blueish gray shirt he wore, loosely hanging from his frail figure, given to him by the subject of his woes a week prior was doing him no favours in regards to soothing his mind of his pounding thoughts. The night he reluctantly decided to keep the shirt was followed directly after by the night these new thoughts popped into his already tormented head, all concerning his adorably idiotic friend named Gold. The fact that merely hearing his name sent heat rushing through his body and caused a twang in his heart was only the tip of the iceberg, as any thought regarding him had more or less the same effect. Yet, as much as the feeling perturbed and frustrated him, he couldn't stop thinking about him; his brilliant yellow eyes and impossibly charming smile, his lightly sculpted and scuffed body broader than Silver's that he had felt pressed so closely against his own that one entrancing night... all of these thoughts made him want to slap himself. But it was only half of the problem, as his captivation with Gold wasn't only skin deep. He couldn't even count on his fingers just how many kind and selfless things the brunet had done for him if he had as many arms as a Tentacruel, yet Silver couldn't recall a single time where he had repayed him for it, which added one more infuriating thought to keep him awake tonight. In addition to being selfless, the boy's aura was unlike any other, and simply being in his presence made the baggage he carried everywhere feel much, much lighter. A couple words from him was enough to put a smile, closer to a smirk, on the redheads face, and he even made him laugh fairly frequently. All of these individual notions melded together and made him feel like he never had before, a feeling he now cherished Gold for allowing him to feel: genuine happiness.

Silver lurched forward, growling and tugging his fiery hair in two fistfuls out of pure and utter frustration. With painful memories and the like, he had ways of dealing, primarily training to keep himself occupied. But for something like this, something he's never, ever felt before, he was at a complete loss. There was nothing he could possibly do at this hour to salvage any amount of sleep, and he'd just have to succumb to all of these puzzling thoughts and feelings, pondering them until the sun rose once again. Well, at least that's what he thought.

~  
"Silver, you alright?"

Gold spoke up, waving a hand in front of his face to gain his friends attention. The redhead jumped back in surprise, exhaling the breath he'd unknowingly held, his conciousnes brought back from a certain dark place in his mind. He was greeted by his friend's face looking worriedly towards him, accompanied by the sounds of gentle waves surrounding the beach they sat upon. The place he was brought back from was somewhere in his mind he didn't normally visit when he was with the brunet, but it was one that made him even more relieved to see Gold's big, dazzling eyes staring back into his once he was out of it. Gazing towards the rippling ocean before him, Silver answered bluntly.

"I'm fine."

Gold clearly didn't believe him.

"No, Silv, you're not. Listen, I'm here for you no matter what, y'know. You can talk to me about whatever's bothering you."

Yet another display of the boy's unrelenting kindness, but Silver stood his ground this time, stubborn as always and determined not to let his friend give even more to him than he already has.

"I don't care, you've done more than enough for me, Gold. I'll be fine, just drop it."

It was a little harsher than he had intended to sound, but he remained unwavering in his stance. Gold seemed to sense when he was pushing the limits to what Silver would tolerate as far as his comfort went, so he slumped back down beside his friend, feeling a little defeated. The feeling didn't last long though- Gold had a solution.

"Well... it's ok if you dont wanna talk to me about it. But can I suggest something you can do instead?"

Silver didn't reply, but he turned his head towards the other boy, begrudgingly open to whatever his suggestion was.

"Believe it or not, Pokémon are great listeners. When I feel a little down, I like to talk to mine, and they're always there to make me feel better. Your Pokémon are your partners after all, and they're always there for you, whether it be in or out of battle."

Gold leaned closer to the cross redhead so their eyes met as he spoke. Silver rolled his eyes at the proposition, as to him, it was one of the dumbest things he'd ever heard. Pokémon cant talk, what are they supposed to do? They're battle partners and that's it. The taller boy clearly saw the eyeroll, as he pressed on a little more insistently afterwards.

"Aw, c'mon...you can't be like that if you've never tried it."

Silver's gaze was fixed on the oceans rising and receding waves.

"Please, Silver? I hate the thought of you having nobody to talk to... so just try it for me at least?"

This part of any disagreement seemed to be the usual tipping point at which Silver would put aside his stubbornness to comply with Gold solely for the sake of his happiness, and this time was no different.

"Fine, I guess. I just don't see how it'll help at all, though."

Gold finally cracked a soft smile of relief, with a glint of worry still present in his expression. He gave a small side hug, and the red haired trainer leaned into it, both boys closing their eyes.

"Thanks, Silv. I promise, it'll help you plenty."  
~

He returned from the flashback to weeks prior, and was greeted with the quaint, dingy Inn room he called home. Silver let out one more deep, drained sigh and reclined onto the wooden backboard of his less than comfortable bed. His eyes gradually shifted towards his wooden bedside table, which held ontop of it his Pokégear, an Inn provided alarm clock reading 4:55 AM, and 5 Pokéballs, shrunken down into their miniature transportable size.

As the clock ticked to 4:56 AM, Silver's mind uttered to him: "What have I got to lose?"

He reached out, lifting the Pokéball containing his ace Pokémon from the table, then pressed the small button in the middle to call him out.

The small ice-type immediately entered a fighting stance once he had completley exited the confines of his ball. His large, red eyes darted around the room for a few moments, then it stopped once he became aware of the dark, moonlit room and soft surface beneath his feet. Puzzled, he looked upwards and was greeted by the weary face of his normally domineering trainer.

"No, Sneasel, there's no battle right now."

Silver's voice sounded dreary and defeated, lacking it's usual sharpness, and it was clear to Sneasel that his trainer was in some sort of distress, a state he hadn't seen him in before. Unable to properly communicate, he simply tilted his head, waiting for an explanation, which came after a moment of contemplation from the red-haired trainer.

"You know Gold, right? That kid with the Feraligatr we train with sometimes?"

Sneasel regained his battle stance once his trainer finished the sentence, probably expecting him to burst through the doors at that moment or something, to which Silver shook his head lightly at.

"Oh, calm down, he's not here. There's no battle, just us."

Finally seeming to read the situation a bit, the petite Pokémon cautiously took a seat in front of his trainer, it's feather receding down from it's alert position. The redhead drew in a deep breath, then spoke again.

"I just... I keep thinking about him, him and his stupid, smiley, adorable face... and I can't stop. I don't know why."

Silver hissed his words and averted his gaze away from Sneasel's line of sight, ashamed. Pokémon or person, these things where endlessly embarrassing to admit to anyone.

"I've... never felt anything like it before. And it's not even... bad feelings? He makes me feel stronger, but weaker at the same time. He makes me feel relieved of everything weighing me down, but the thought of him keeps me awake. It's just such a horrible mess in my head and I feel like a moron for thinking it all."

The boy's words faded near the end, and he retracted his knees up to his chin, feeling much more vulnerable than was comfortable for him. His Pokémon only sat there, eyes wide and worried, and his head cocked to the side. They stared at eachother for a moment, both completely silent.

"Ugh, why am I doing this? This is stupid..."

His voice was jaded, sounding almost ashamed for even considering this. For the longest time, he lived with the mentality of Pokémon only being useful in battles and nothing else, so why on earth would he think one would somehow understand him and what he's going through?

He raised the Pokéball in his right hand up to Sneasel's level, prepared to recall him and deal with another sleepless night all on his own. But the creature, as stubborn as his trainer, gave a swift but accurate swipe with his sharp claws, knocking the ball out of his hand and watching as it bounced gently on the carpeted floor. Even in the poorly lit room, Silver's menacing gaze could be seen by his Pokémon, and knowing very well how his trainer got when angry, it backed up slightly and braced for a scolding.

"What the hell!? You could've sliced my fingers off with that! Why would you do that, jerk?"

The trainer was beyond irritated given everything he'd dealt with tonight; first he couldn't sleep at all, then he'd swallowed his pride to talk to a Pokémon like a crazy person, then he'd almost got his fingers sliced off? One more little thing, and he'd be sent over the edge. Yet, looking at Sneasel's eyes glimmering with concern in the moonlight, with his little claws carefully resting on Silver's forearm, he felt his anger begin to dissipate ever so slightly. The Pokémon's expression reminded him of Gold's; kind, well-meaning, comforting. The thought of his friend further melted away his irritation, leaving the boys expression soft and vulnerable, drawing his knees back up to his chin once again. It was clear to him now that Sneasel had knocked the Pokéball away because, for whatever reason, he wanted to be there for his trainer despite every terrible thing he's done. Silver's stony gray eyes stared down at the Pokéball, having rolled far away from the bed and into the corner of the room, a small scratch now visible above it's button. He let out a deep breath and mumbled.

"Tch. Why do you care so much about me? It's not like I've ever done anything for you."

He hugged his knees a little closer to his chest, and Sneasel let out a small trill of protest, shaking his head gently as if to say 'you've done plenty'. He then sat down in his previous position in front of Silver, watching attentively, it's feather pointed down passively. The boy's eyebrows furrowed and his expression mellowed, displaying wordless gratitude. He let out a single, dry chuckle.

"You're just like him, y'know. So stubborn, but kind. Way too kind to someone like me."

Sneasel grinned widely and gleefully at his trainer, who couldn't help but gain a faint smile of his own across his pallid face. 

"Well, do you still wanna hear me complain, then? I doubt I'll get much sleep tonight anyways."

The Pokémon nodded, remaining attentive. Silver inhaled, then reclined his head against the wooden backboard, beginning to feel fairly relieved already, at least compared to how he was minutes earlier. He began to assemble the words in his head from bits of scattered thoughts, still struggling to make sense out of most of it.

"Well... I stayed over with him a week ago. He asked me to, and as much as I wanted to tell him no, I just couldn't. His dumb smiley face always ends up getting the better of me."

He rolled his eyes and shook his head lightly, then continued.

"Anyways, we went to his house and we watched this weird cartoon that didn't end up being too bad... and we laughed and teased eachother the whole night, and at one point he somehow convinced me to hug him and... when I woke up, I was on top of him."

He mumbled the last part, immensely embarrassed and blushing furiously as the memory entered his mind once again.

"I guess I just fell asleep there, and that's that. But still, I just..."

Silver gave a sigh, gazing up at the ceiling.

"It's weird, but I miss it, all of it. As annoying and obnoxious as he can be, I don't... hate being around him, I guess."

The boy glanced back down at Sneasel, cocking his head to the side and raising an eyebrow, not buying his trainers artificial aloofness one bit. Silver huffed.

"Okay, fine. I guess I really like being around him. There, ya happy? It's stupid and saccharine and makes me look like a total bleeding heart, but I really, really do... a-and once he gets back from Kanto, I'm gonna slap his stupid cute face for not telling me before and making me miss him and his dumb antics for 5 days straight."

Still reclined against the backboard and eyes focused on the ceiling, Silvers' arms slumped to his sides, and his legs extended completely from the tucked in position he was previously holding them in. His expression had loosened considerably as well, his eyes closed and mouth slightly ajar, taking deep, steady breaths. All in all, he was a complete foil to his earlier, infuriated self. His stony eyes then fell downwards towards Sneasel, who had crossed arms and had adorned a smug smirk, much like the one often found on his trainers face. 

"What? What's that face for?"

Silver scrutinized the ice-type. Snickering in little chirps, he positioned his clawed hands to form the outline of a shape: a heart. After examining it for just a second, his insinuation was clear and the redhead squinted and sneered, his arms crossed and his tone harsh.

"Just what are you trying to say, huh?"

The sharp-clawed Pokémon put his hands on his hips, leaning in towards his trainer and leering with one knowing, bright magenta eye and cheeky grin. It was as if he was telling his trainer that he knew EXACTLY what he was trying to say, and it was only a matter of time until he'd cave. As expected, he began fervently denying, his pale face easily displaying the red glow rising up his cheeks.

"Wh-! I-I... no, no way! There's absolutely no way I'd... just, n-no! I don't care one bit about romance or anything like that, it's stupid! So what in the world would make you think that he'd be the exception!?"

Silver spoke in hushed whispers, as to not get a noise complaint about his tantrum at 5:00 in the morning, yet it was clear by his expression alone that he was starting to become just as furious as a few minutes ago. However, his Pokémon stood his ground, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow once again at his trainers denial.

"Oh, shut up... it's not like you'd know anything about romance anyways."

Silver huffed once again. In all honesty, Sneasel probably knew just as much as he did about romance, which definitely wasn't much. He never had the luxury of growing up in a home with a TV to watch watch movies in, nevermind any romance films (though from what he'd heard and bits he'd observed, they're horribly cheesy). And the only relationship he'd ever observed up close didn't last very long at all... Pushing the thought away before he had another thing on his plate to ponder, he spoke again.

"A-and besides, if I were to ever get myself a partner, they'd be nothing like Gold."

Silver, in his desperation to prove his point, began listing things off the top of his head, counting them on his fingers.

"They'd have to be strong, first of all. They couldn't always be bringing me down or being all negative, they'd have to be loyal, and obviously, they'd have to be attractive to me, too."

Satisfied with his list, he began skimming through it, comparing each item to him with confidence.

Was he strong? Well, he'd managed to beat Silver every single time they'd battled, so perhaps. But that was just one item out of 5, not even a passing grade.

Did be bring Silver down? No, not exactly... infact, Gold was the only person he'd ever met that could lift his worries from his mind simply just by being in the same room. But so what, 2 out of 5, that's nothing.

Was he negative? Nope, not one bit. Gold was one of the most obnoxiously and infectiously positive people he'd ever met, and for some reason it didn't bother him nearly as much as it should've. 3 out of 5, still, could just be a coincidence.

Was he loyal? Most certainly. The amount of favours he'd done for Silver without a second thought was overwhelming. 4 out of 5...

Was he attractive to him? Silver didn't even begin to answer that one, as the thoughts he'd had about his friends physical appearance that one fateful night where he'd seen Gold mostly naked described it best. But the short answer, as much as he hated to admit it, was absolutely. The brown-haired boy had ticked every available box from off the top of his head of key traits in a perfect partner, and now that he inspected him closer, ticked even more boxes for traits he hadn't even thought to add to the list. 

Gradually, it all began to set in and appeared on his expression in the form of horror and bewilderment. It all made sense now: how much he enjoyed Gold's company, how he didn't at all mind the constant physical interaction between them, and how his heart sped up and his face grew as hot as a Magcargo's shell at the mere sight of him.

Silver was in love with Gold. 

Out of everyone in the whole region he could've possibly fallen for, it was the cheerful, bright-eyed dolt of a trainer he'd despised with a passion only months prior. 

Sneasel stood, self-satisfied with his hands perched on his hips, watching the gears turn in his trainer's tortured head, and the sudden realization creep onto his face. He opened his mouth a few times to speak, but all that came out were stutters, followed by more baffled expressions. Surely, this was a mistake or something, and Silver tried his hardest to believe that, but it seemed like those moments of realization marked the point of no return for him. He was lost and in love; a combination of feelings that dug him into a hole he had absolutely no clue how to get out of. What was he supposed to do now? Tell him the truth? Tell Gold that he, the arrogant, abrasive, snide Silver, had somehow fallen in love with him? As if. He could list off a million different things he'd rather do than confess to the brunet if it weren't for how drained he was. He hardly even had the strength to ponder it all any longer, though. The mental strain from thinking over all these things had clearly taken a toll on him, as he let out a deep sigh and slumped down into bed, his forearm covering his bloodshot eyes. Even forming words in his head and speaking them aloud was a chore at this point.

"Alright, I think we should cut off the therapy session here."

Exhaustion was seeping from his voice, completely void of it's usual edge. He laid there for a moment, glancing back over at the alarm clock's displayed time, illuminated a bright red in the darkness.

5:22 AM... had it really only been 20 minutes? 

It felt like he'd been up for hours running his mouth to his Pokémon, who still sat in the same place, watching his trainer attentively. Turning his head back towards the clock, Silver did a quick count of how many more hours he could sleep before the afternoon came, since sleeping in until noon would ensure that he wouldn't be provided breakfast by the Inn; his single meal of the day. In addition to that, he wouldn't be caught sleeping in until noon unless he was dead. Around 6 full hours of rest remained, which was much more than he'd been getting lately, so the worn-out redhead accepted this graciously. He positioned his head onto the white feather pillow, completely neglecting the covers that now lay crumpled by his feet, and Sneasel, watching on in relief as his trainer seemed to finally be relaxed enough to rest his body and mind. 

He'd never been out of his Pokéball at this time of night, unless his trainer was determined to stay up into the late hours of the night to train. So, witnessing the trainer he both respected and feared, display such innocent and warm emotions towards someone, followed by complete and utter relaxation, was jarring to say the least. Looking over the teen with a pair of magenta eyes, Sneasel thought to himself. Maybe, just maybe, this was a side of him that the boy he spoke about tonight was slowly digging up from deep down within his hardened being. If that was the case, then he sincerely hoped that this Gold individual reciprocated his feelings, and he was confident that his trainer hoped the same. 

As silently as he could, the small ice-type grasped the edges of the blanket with razor-sharp claws, and tugged it over his trainer's body up to his shoulders. Satisfied, he crept into the nook his sprawled out arm created next to his side, and nestled into it cozily. The sudden feeling of Sneasel's cold form pressed against his body caused Silver to flinch for a moment, shivering at the unexpected contact, but quickly adjusting to the ice-types presence next to him. Normally he'd scold the Pokémon for cuddling up so close to him, knowing very well how cold his body temperature was, but his being yearned for rest, and he was determined to get those precious 6 hours of sleep since he finally had the opportunity. Besides, perhaps Sneasel deserved a night out of it's Pokéball after what he'd done for his trainer. 

Before he had time to criticize himself for getting all soft and sentimental, his mind was already being dragged down deep into the depths of slumber, leaving behind all the thoughts clouding his head for so many hours today. They'd all come back to him in the morning, no doubt, but for now, Silver's slate gray eyes were shut tight, ensuring he got the rest he needed. Within just a few minutes, his slumber was so deep, he didn't take any notice of the notification of a text message sounding from his Pokégear.

-

> hey again silv!! srry I keep texting so early, schedules been real tight over here :/ but the good news is a couple of my interviews got cancelled soooo im home early!! such a relieffff i miss u so much haha

> anywaysss i kinda wanna talk to u about something pretty important. so if it's ok with u, ill swing by a little later with some breakfast and we can talk :) seeya!!

Sender: Gold  
Received: Wednesday, 5:29 AM, 7/13/20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey! so uh, this has been getting some attention, which I am incredibly grateful for :,) you have no idea how happy it makes me to see a comment or a kudos left on my silly little fluff fic hehe,,, I'll keep it all up for you guys!!
> 
> anyways, even though there wasnt much direct interaction between the boys in this chap, I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless <3


End file.
